Buying second hand saddles?

CobsCanDo said:
I'd always rather buy via a saddle fitter as I don't think I understand enough abut saddle fitting to be totally sure I have one that fits. Of course so many saddle fitters in the area are all desperate to sell you a new saddle for £1k rather than a second hand saddle. Luckily we've found a lovely saddle fitter who is happy to fit second hand and synthetic saddles. She could easily have sold me a new leather saddle when she came out to us last month but instead advised a second hand, good quality synthetic for £250.
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Perhaps you can put me in touch with her :)
 
Much as I love Albions (and I do, well made saddles that keep their value and fit a lot of horses)... Please bear in mind, they do use different trees so don't just look at a saddle and width.
 
Are you on a biggish yard? Or have horsy friends nearby you can borrow from? My girl has really filled out so I've had to rejig saddles. I borrowed several from people at my yard to sit on her to see shape so I could get an idea of what suited. Then I bid on eBay for the styles/makes that seemed the best fit and when I got the one I wanted paid my saddler to check it and reflock slightly.
 
Had quite a few bad experiences with some saddle fitters who made me feel that they were more concerned about selling me a saddle than the actual fit on my horse.

Therefore I take a chance and buy saddles 2nd hand, then just get it adjusted to fit. If you have a rough idea what you want and what size, shape, make you want then just look at online ad websites and ebay. Like others have said, pay via Paypal or cash on collection. I usually pay via Paypal with a credit card - double protection incase you need it.

There's real bargains to be had on gorgeous 2nd hand leather saddles, some absolute gems out there :)
 
Also if you have friends with horses or are on a fairly big yard, ask the other liveries if you can try their saddles on for fit. If you find one you like and that fits well, try looking for one like that yourself 2nd hand. Good luck!
 
Dont forget that different brands have different d ring measurements as i found out recently. Wasnt something i'd thought about either. My t4 is 10" but the new winners circle saddle is 8" as the d rings are in different places
 
One pitfall of buying saddles from ebay or local ads is that you may be tempted to rely on measurement of the saddle alone. Some saddles flex more than others, so respond to the weight of a rider in the saddle differently. Make sure you allow for settling under rider weight when choosing a second hand saddle. It's quite easy to end up with one that looks narrower than it actually is, hence is too side for the horse. IME this applies especially to some earlier synthetics.
 
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